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Time for Tigers to whittle down starting options

One way or another, the Tigers’ month-long search for starting pitching is nearing a resolution. And with Sunday afternoon’s non-waiver Trade Deadline looming, they appear to be going through their many options to see where there’s a realistic shot at a deal, including the top option on the market.

The Tigers made contact with the Rockies on Thursday about Ubaldo Jimenez, according to Foxsports.com, to see if there’s a trade scenario that makes sense. But unless Detroit is willing to trade top prospect Jacob Turner, it’s difficult to envision one of those scenarios meeting what Colorado wants. Reports have mentioned Rick Porcello as someone the Rockies could accept instead, but Jimenez in Porcello’s spot doesn’t solve the void at the back end of Detroit’s rotation, where the Tigers haven’t picked up a win since mid-June. Thus, it doesn’t make the Tigers better this year, which is what team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski is looking for.

The Turner scenario has been brought up by plenty of other teams over the last year or so, and quickly rejected each time. But the Tigers are in a win-now mode, with Dombrowski, manager Jim Leyland, most of the front office and all of the coaching staff in contract years. If Detroit were to ever part with Turner before he reaches the big leagues, Jimenez — 27 years old, and under contract for three more years — is the type of player that could do it.

If it isn’t, then the Tigers will have find a workable deal out of their other options, which now include Washington’s Jason Marquis. Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda remains a possibility, while others mentioned as targets of interest include Baltimore’s Jeremy Guthrie, San Diego’s Aaron Harang and Seattle’s Doug Fister, Jason Vargas and Erik Bedard. The Tigers are expected to scout Bedard’s return from the disabled list for the M’s Friday night, but given how their trade for Jarrod Washburn two years ago backfired because of a knee injury they knew about before the deal, it’s difficult to envision the Tigers taking that risk again.

Verlander to Ubaldo to Scherzer sounds great to me…and the ages of the three make it sound even more appealing. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind seeing Jason Vargas become a more serious back-up option. The Tigers need a lefty in that rotation who isn’t making their first or second big-league start.

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